


It's Worth Dying For

by ScotlandEvander



Series: Over the Rainbow [32]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Caves, Character Death, Gen, Horcruxes, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-23
Updated: 2013-07-23
Packaged: 2017-12-21 03:30:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/895256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScotlandEvander/pseuds/ScotlandEvander
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The young man approached the glowing bowl and stared at the contents. He looked at the Elf, then back at the basin. He seemed resigned, knowing what was required. </p><p>“Kreacher, I want you to switch out the lockets,” the young man ordered, pulling a large, gold locket from his pocket. He handed it to the House Elf, Kreacher. “When the basin is empty, I want you to switch the lockets. After you have done this, you will leave. Without me. You will go home and never tell Atlanta, Mother or anyone in the family what I’ve done. You will destroy the locket, the one you will take from the basin after it is empty. Do you understand?”</p><p>“Yes, Master Regulus,” Kreacher said, tears rolling down his face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Worth Dying For

**Disclaimer: If you know it, I do not own it. If you know it, it is from _Deathly Hallows_ or _Half-Blood Prince_ by JKR. **

_A/N: Edited and reloaded 30 June 2013_

* * *

The sea air appeared as if it was biting the young man, sending his raven hair flying every direction. The young man was wearing Muggle clothing, plain jeans and a dark colored long sleeve t-shirt. He took a deep breath and gazed around the jagged rocks with his blue-grey eyes. Setting his face in a hard expression, he dove into the water, quickly followed by an ugly, old House Elf. The pair swam, coming up into an eerie cavern. It glowed slightly green. The young man and the House Elf both got out of the water. The young man cast a drying charm on both of them. They walked towards a solid rock wall. 

“It needs blood, Master Regulus,” the Elf said. 

A quick cut in the young man’s hand (even though the Elf volunteered a few times) and a doorway appeared. The pair walked through the door, then made their way along the shore. It took the young man awhile before he managed to find the boat even with the Elf’s help. He loaded the Elf and himself into the boat. They reached an island that glowed green at the center of the still lake. 

The young man approached the glowing bowl and stared at the contents. He looked at the Elf, then back at the basin. He seemed resigned, knowing what was required. 

“Kreacher, I want you to switch out the lockets,” the young man ordered, pulling a large, gold locket from his pocket. He handed it to the House Elf, Kreacher. “When the basin is empty, I want you to switch the lockets. After you have done this, you will leave. Without me. You will go home and never tell Atlanta, Mother or anyone in the family what I’ve done. You will destroy the locket, the one you will take from the basin after it is empty. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master Regulus,” Kreacher said, tears rolling down his face. He looked as if he wanted to argue. “Let me drink the potion.”

“No, Kreacher. I must do this. Make sure I drink it all, no matter what? Do you remember all your orders?”

“Yes, Master Regulus.”

Kreacher looked as if he would rather do anything but what his master requested, but he fed the potion to his master till it was all gone. His master screamed, pleaded, but drank the potion. Kreacher stood and switched the lockets out. He placed the gold, oval locket into his pocket and placed the much larger and square one into the basin. There was a loud noise that sounded like a collision of some sort and Kreacher looked up.

“Ouch!”

A young woman with short hair was lying in a heap on the other side of the island, almost in the water. She crawled further inland, somehow not disturbing the water. Standing, she was tall, thin and had straight mahogany hair cut in an angled bob. She was dressed oddly in black body hugging clothing, but the Kreacher didn’t seem to mind this in the least. If anything, the Elf looked relieved to see her. 

“Bugger!” the girl yelled suddenly, her eyes flashing in the dim light. She moved quickly and grabbed the feet of the young man, who’d crawled to the shores edge to drink the water. Hands, unearthly looking hands were grappling out of the water for the young man, who was struggling to drink the water in his hand. 

“Kreacher, help!” the girl cried, attempting to drag the young man away. 

“Master Regulus told Kreacher to go home. Without him.”

The Elf remained where he was, looking torn, tears streaming out of his large, ugly eyes. 

“Kreacher! Help me!” the young woman ordered, dragging the young man out from the grasp of the undead hands that were trying to get out of the lake. She flicked her left wrist and her wand appeared in her hand. “ _Incendio!”_

Fire shot out of her wand, causing the unearthly creatures to go back to where they’d come from. 

Kreacher scampered forward and helped the young woman drag his Master away from the lake’s edge. The young man struggled to get back to the water. The woman silently stunned him. He fell in a boneless heap. 

“What does Mistress Lanta want of Kreacher?” Kreacher asked, looking like a great weight was lifted off of him. 

“Follow Regulus’ orders, except for the leaving him part. He told you to leave him, right?”

Kreacher nodded. The young woman rolled her eyes deeply. The young man began to make horrifying, inhuman sounds. Kreacher and the young woman looked at him worriedly. Then back at one another. 

“What was that potion?”

“Do not know, Miss,” Kreacher admitted. “Made Master scream and see bad things. Made Kreacher see bad things too.”

The young woman frowned. She flinched at each sound the young man made, but looked into the bowl. She frowned upon seeing what was in the bowl. 

“You will hide Reggie. Tell Dumbledore what happened here tonight. He’s not a family member, so you can tell him,” she ordered. “I know you’re worried. He’s dying. He’s been poisoned. There’s no antidote for humans— you’re not dead, so there is clearly one for Elves— but, one spell then you can go.” 

Kreacher nodded, eyeing his unconscious, yet clearly dying master. The young woman froze for a moment, a look of pure dread on her face. She looked at something on her wrist, then waved her wand. If possible she looked more terrified. She began to feel around in her pockets. 

“Crap. He’s coming. Okay, right after the spell, go to Dumbledore.” 

Kreacher nodded. 

She pulled her hands out of her pockets, flicking her wand into her wand again. 

“ _Temporis Obfirmoquinum!”_

White light shot out of her wand and hit the young man square in the chest. The force caused him to un-ball and lie flat on his back, almost looking peaceful. With that last spell, Kreacher grabbed onto his master and the memory faded away. 

Dumbledore stood up, removing his head from the pensive. He regarded the Elf for a moment. He walked back around his desk and sat down. The Elf stood next to the unconscious body of his master. 

“Thank you, Kreacher. You’ve been very brave. Will you be able to hide Regulus for the next fifteen years?”

Kreacher nodded. 

“He’s not dead. I believe Miss Black placed a Timelock spell on him that’ll last exactly fifteen years.” Dumbledore paused and watched the House Elf. “I do not know when or how he’ll wake up. Miss Black was a Master Spellsmith. The youngest one in at least a millennium. It seems that spell was one of her own creation. What it will do, I’m not sure, but he seems to be in status.” 

The Elf gulped. 

Dumbledore was fascinated by the Timelock spell Atlanta Black has placed on Regulus Black. The young man was locked in the state he was in when she placed the spell upon him. He wasn’t breathing, he wasn’t doing anything. He was literally frozen in the moment. He looked as if he were in fact dead or simply sleeping. The only reason Dumbledore even knew Regulus was alive was because he was still warm to the touch.

“Your master ordered you to never speak of these events?”

The Elf nodded.

“You will follow these orders?”

The Elf nodded vigorously. 

“Very well. Thank you for brining me the locket. I will destroy it,” Dumbledore informed him. “I doubt you’d be able to. But know, it will be destroyed.” 

“Kreacher must watch,” the Elf said. “Master Regulus ordered me to destroy it.”

“Very well,” Dumbledore replied. “I will send one of the Hogwarts Elves to get you once I’ve made the preparations to destroy the locket.”

The House Elf bowed. “May Kreacher go home?”

“Yes. You may.”

With a crack the Elf vanished, along with the body of his master. Dumbledore sat back in his high back hair and steepled his fingers together. After putting some deep thought into the events having taken place that night, Dumbledore realized that Atlanta Black had figured out she’d traveled backwards in time and not to an alternative reality. She accepted this information. While Dumbledore did not subscribe to her theories on time travel, he did understand them. He knew she’d figured out where Draco Malfoy had gone and thus had decided to try to keep the timeline in tact as best she could now that she’d messed it up by simply existing in this time period. 

She had allowed herself to replace Regulus and had gone to her own death tonight. 

Draco Malfoy would have new memories or either be confused a great deal when his memories, soul and magic merged with his younger self. 

From the memory Dumbledore had viewed, it was clear Regulus Black had gone to that place to die. That was the only way out of Lord Voldemort’s service. He had willingly drunk the potion, which appeared to be a slow acting poison. Judging by Atlanta’s reaction a moment before the Elf left the cave, Lord Voldemort was on his way, no doubt to see who had managed to get past all his defenses. 

Lord Voldemort would meet Atlanta Black and more than likely kill her. 

Dumbledore glanced at the night sky behind him. The sun was beginning to rise. In a few hours, students would be boarding the Hogwarts Express to begin another new school year. As he studied the sky, he noticed an owl flying towards him. Standing, he opened the window. The owl landed, holding out his leg. Dumbledore took the note and the owl left. Upon seeing the handwriting and feeling the weight, Dumbledore knew in his gut what it was. 

Lord Voldemort had murdered Atlanta Dorothy (Siria) Black (Lupin). 

Slicing the envelope open, he dumped the contents on his desk. There was another envelope addressed to Draco Malfoy and one for Remus Lupin. Lupin’s envelope had a piece of paper stuck to it that said, “To be given to after my will comes out.” Malfoy’s had a note that said, “Give when he exhibits un-Malfoy like behavior.” 

There was also a letter for him. He read over the letter, sighing deeply. 

“Such a waste of life,” Dumbledore sighed deeply. 

He folded the note back up and gazed at the locket.

“Two down. And who knows how many to go,” Dumbledore muttered, pushing himself to his feet. He picked up the locket and walked over to one of the portraits. He pulled it and unlocked the tiny box Atlanta Black had designed for him till he could figure out how to destroy Horcruxes. Both Atlanta and Dumbledore had searched for books on Horcruxes. Dumbledore had been sure there were Dark Arts books that spoke of them in the library, but they’d been unable to find them. Even the collection of the darkest of the Dark books held nothing on Horcurxes. 

He placed the locket in the box and finally headed to bed. Maybe the future Malfoy boy would know how to destroy them? 


End file.
